Bill Shaw Answers The Mail - The Pearson Current - Volume 3, #3

BILL SHAW ANSWERS THE MAIL
The Pearson Current - Volume 3, #3 - 1996

As a member of NPYOA, I read the Vol. 3 No. 1, 1996 of the Pearson Current with great interest. Mr. Ward Russenberg from Annapolis, MD, shows with great details a problem that I’m encountering on my Pearson 390, 1972, Hull 28. I would like to know if it is possible to get in touch with him.

Also, do you know anyone who has blueprints of the same boat P. 390 1972? And to finish, does anyone know the purpose of the 3/8" solid stainless steel rod just 1-1/8" ahead of the mast, going from the mast "base-plate" to the ceiling?

Thank you for all your help. I’m looking forward to the next issue of the Pearson Current.
—Luc Fontaine, Pompano Beach, FL

Dear Luc,
Call Bill Lawrence and I am sure he has Mr. Russenberg’s address or number. Plans if available at all will be at D&R. The 3/8" rod is a tie rod that prevents the deck from lifting due to the downward force created by the mast compression when sailing.

My boat is a 1979 Pearson 32, hull number 3. This was the boat derived from the 31, not the 323.

I have had this boat for three years after replacing my 1962 Pearson Ariel. As I upgrade, I have noticed certain flaws that I would like to advise other owners of.

Rudder: The rudder has only a small stainless plate in its interior. I had to cut mine open as the top had cracked. Owners should check the leading edge near the hull and, if cracked, repair quickly.

Engine: The factory prop that came with the boat and the Atomic 4 was a 12x7. The boat could not get above 6 knots nor 2250 RPM. I had it checked by a company here who cut the prop to a 11x5, and now I get 3000 RPM and 6.7 knots of speed. In conversations with owners with diesel engines, it seems that a similar problem occurred. It would be wise to check on some models whether the prop is properly matched to the boat and motor.

Keel: The 32 was built as a racer cruiser, and in order to obtain a better IOR rating had a square of lead cut out of the keel, and replaced by a fiberglass plug. There is no cause for concern, but the fairing should be checked.

Bow roller: I designed a bow roller for our boat that holds a 35 pound CQR, and keeps the deck clear so that the anchor locker door can be opened. I would be very happy to send a photo and the drawings to anyone who wants them. It cost $250.00 Canadian dollars (U$ 190.00 at today’s rate) to make it here in Montreal.

Find enclosed a copy of an info sheet on a product that we manufacture. It is a toe rail mid ship cleat for the attachment of spring lines. I designed it specifically for our boat as we have netting along the rails, and I did not want to drill the deck or have lines across it either. We have since adapted the design for universal fit, and are marketing the product. Our price is $34.95 per unit, but to association members will offer it at $60.00 per pair. We must take care of our own.
— Ron Benveniste, Montreal Canada

Dear Ron,
Sorry to hear about your problem with the plate on your rudder, I guess 17 years of use had to give somewhere. The propeller used with the Atomic Four gas engine was sized in conjunction with Universal Motors, the engine builder. Since most of the boats were direct drive we purposely held down the top rpm in order to obtain a more efficient prop for overall usage. Although you are now getting maximum engine rpm with a small prop, you should inspect your new prop frequently as it might be subject to erosion due to cavitation. I also take issue with the increased speed you say you are getting especially in a seaway because the original prop with its greater blade area would punch through easier. An 11 x 5 prop is really quite small for this boat. It is not clear from your letter what engine you have in your boat, but I don’t think it had an Atomic 4 when it left our shop. If you did change engines, you might expect to need to change props as well. The balance between engine, prop and the specific use of a boat is very delicate and shouldn’t be altered without professional advice.

I have a Pearson 40, which we are taking to the South Pacific, shortly maybe.

Serious questions have come up about the center board and rudder. An ex-owner told me that he broke the rudder twice on the way to Bermuda. First it split open and then broke off from the shoe or lower hinge. If you or another member could tell me if this is a general problem and what the remedy might be, I would appreciate it. Thanks for your help.

—Carl Bergan, Kirkland, WA

Dear Carl,
I am not aware of this having been a common problem. However, as a safety measure I would recommend a glass strapping in the form of roving strands wrapped around the rudder. For a finer job, a cutout equal to the width of the roving could be made in the rudder to keep the surface perfectly smooth.

Recently, I purchased a 34 ft. Pearson 1986 C/B model. I have been doing a lot of upgrade but still have one problem I can’t solve. You wrote in your Vol. 2 in 1995 article about a problem of mast pumping while in our slip. You mentioned to use a spinnaker pole lift to stemhead fitting to pre-bend mast forward. Well, I don’t have a pole lift and tried letting off on all stays. Also lifted the mast up and moved two of the teak blocks located at base of mast to aft, with no great results.

The noise below is loud and vibrates the whole boat. I noticed when the wind is around 15 to 20 Kts, and off the port quarter it is worse. If you could put me in contact with other owners of Pearson 34, 1986 or have an answer to my problem, please contact me at RD 2 #8B Cypress, Toms River, NJ 08757, Tel. 908-286-6705.
—Jack Devenney

Dear Jack,
Without the pole lift as a solution, you might try to jury-rig a line around the mast above the spreaders and lead this to the stemhead fitting. Another solution might be to seek a slip that shifts the prevailing wind.

One of our slipholders has the shoal-draft (swing-keel) version of the Pearson 36 sloop. The pennant is fixed to the swing-keel at a point that provides very little leverage. Consequently, given the weight of the swing-keel, the pennant has twice broken loose despite our careful swaging effort. Further, because of the poor mechanical advantage of this design, the winch is very hard to turn.

We have checked the several sheaves that guide the cable and they run quite freely. Of course, the path of the cable through these sheaves is quite tortuous, again leading to strain at the winch. Since this would appear to be a design flaw experienced by other members of your Pearson Owners Association, I was hoping that a solution has emerged.

We are planning to haul the vessel and would like to propose a solution to the owner sometime in September. The owner and I would welcome some guidance.
—John J. Roberts, Pt. Lookout Marina, Ridge, MD

Dear John,
As I recall we used a Lewmar self-tailing winch which made it possible to raise the CB with a reasonable amount of effort. If the pennant is breaking at the swage fitting, this is the result of electrolysis. Is there a Tru-Loc swage fitting or is it a Nicro Press? The latter is not adequate for this purpose. I also disagree with the path comments, because it was designed to be very straight forward. Many CB installations today are using 3-strand nylon rope instead of 7x19 wire rope. This eliminates the electrolysis problem. The lower end of the nylon pennant should be spliced around a SS thimble, a solid thimble is best. The pennant should be 1/2" or 7/16" diameter. Make sure that the sheaves are properly secured to accept these diameters. They may have to be machined. The attachment point on the CB is not ideal from a mechanical vantage point, however. Locating it further aft would expose it to the water flow, setting up vibrations, increasing the drag and risking possible damage to the installation.

I was interested in your comments about the center board in Vol. 2 #4 issue of the Newsletter. I have had considerable CB experience in racing "Lightnings" for years on Long Island Sound. We use the CB on our P35 almost as you describe, but I don’t understand the use of a full board when going to weather in light air. Maybe you could elaborate on this point a little further.

Another question I would like to ask is about the topside gelcoat on my 25 year old boat. It is beginning to show small areas of "crazing" although it takes a very nice shine when buffed and waxed. I have been told of two possible choices: 1) strip the entire topsides and reglaze (to the tune of around $10,000; or 2) have it sanded down carefully and paint with AWLGRIP (estimated cost $5,000). Any other suggestions would be most appreciated.
—Paul Leno, Concord, NH

Dear Paul,
The answer is simple, slow airplanes require greater wing area than faster planes. In light air with the board all the way down, it develops more lift with less leeway. It must be pointed out that the board should not be raised when sailing hard on the wind, nor is it feasible to lower it when there is pressure on it. Head up or head off to reduce pressure on the board before raising or lowering it.

With reference to the gelcoat question I recommend awlgrip. To get an idea as to how it has worked out in your area, check out other boats in your yard that have had it done.

I own a 1977 Pearson 28, hull #166. I recently began rebedding all deck hardware and discovered some core saturation. Is there any source of information about the fiberglass layup schedules for Pearsons of this era? The deck appears to be end grain balsa, but it is hard to tell without taking a core sample which I am reluctant to do. Actually I would like to have an owner’s manual for this boat, but have no idea how to go about finding one. Any help the association can provide will be very much appreciated.

Thank you in advance for any help you may provide. I look forward to communicating with other owners of this fine boat.
—Ray Dowdle, Gulfport, MS

Dear Ray,
In general, all of the decks have a balsa core. The exceptions are solid wood under highly stressed fittings and solid glass usually along the outboard edges of the deck. You should route out the spongy area and refill with epoxy. When deck fittings start to leak it is time to rebed the fittings.

I own hull #78, P365 and have 2 questions for you. How do you install an antennae for a SSB on the 365 ketch rig? We’ve tried insulating the top section of the main backstay (it is split at the bottom) and running the lead down the port side of the lower split portion. However, the signal is weak or non existent. Grounding is done with a dynaplate and attachment to the tanks, etc. We disconnected the ground to the backstay to prevent grounding the leads.

Last year, we installed a max-prop and a rotating seal stuffing box and developed severe vibration. We removed the rotating seal and the problem was solved. The answer seemed to be that the length of the shaft from the v-drive to the strut was too long to allow the rotating seal. Any other ideas? I’d certainly like to use the seal if possible.
—Ray Perry

Dear Ray,
First, the radio should be checked out ashore to be certain it is working properly. The insulated length of the backstay is short thus it is a poor match at lower frequencies. Do you have an antenna tuner? Have you determined what your standing wave ratios are? If the ratio is high, the output will be low. Is the dynaplate clean? Once they foul up they become ineffective. Lastly, have the rig (radio) checked out by a qualified radio technician. Your propeller shaft is probably bronze; if so, you might look into an SS shaft that has a higher modulous and will be stiffer. You might want to talk to the people at Essex Machine Works.

I lost my rudder on my Pearson 26 one design (1979). I am getting a new rudder made and wanted to know if you knew what it is to be made of or had any specifications for it. If not, could you tell me who would know? Thanking you in advance for your assistance.
—Stephen Fahrer

Dear Stephen,
Try D & R at 508-644 3001, ask for Rudy.

Could you provide me with information about the sliding glass door on my ’88 38' convertible? The aluminum slider needs new rollers and I can’t figure out just how to remove the door to access the frozen rollers on the bottom and where to get the parts.
—Dan R. Balmer, Groton, CT

Dear Dan,
I just cannot recall how this door was attached and would have to actually see your boat for a definitive answer. Usually there is a series of screws on the top slide, leading into the overhead that must be removed to release the door from its frame. If you have not already tried it, you might give a shot of WD40 on the rollers. Sometimes hair, salt, or sand gets wedged in and that might be why the rollers are frozen.

My 1984 Pearson 34 CB has developed a problem with the mast deck plate. The plate is dropping a fine white powder on the cabin floor. Can you tell me what is causing this and how to fix it? If this is not repairable can you tell me where to find a mast collar plate and how to remove the old one.
—George M. Barthel, West Hurley, NY

Dear George,
What is happening here is that the mast collar, which is made of aluminum, is oxidizing due to salt air. I suggest you remove the mast, dry out the area, completely remove all traces of the powder and then paint the collar with epoxy.

I am looking for suggestions on modifying my P35 centerboard painter to make the lead more fair. Much appreciated.
—Louis Sousa, Bristol, RI

Dear Louis,
Lots of luck, if there had been a better way we most likely would have thought of it.

Thanks for publishing the Newsletter. It is comforting to know that my 1976 Pearson 39 may still have some life left.

I would like to spruce up the interior of my Pearson. There is a foam piping that Pearson used to cosmetically join the headliner with bulkheads and wood trim. Would you know where to get or what to use as an acceptable replacement? I would also like to swap out the port lights.

If you have any information, please let me know.
—Henry Posner, Washington, DC

Dear Henry,
This was an off-the-shelf item available to us at the time. We did use it partially for cosmetic purposes but it also to kept bulkheads, etc. from squeaking while underway. Check a local weather stripping supplier and you might find a reasonable replacement. The one you have is surely no longer available. See Bill’s comments to A.J. Mathews (page 5) about a port swap.

I have a 1976 Pearson 10M and I am considering moving it to the Caribbean. I think the 6 foot draft could be inconvenient. I’ve seen a number of advertisements offering to convert deep draft fin keels to shoal keels with "wings."

What effects would such a conversion have on the sailing characteristics of the 10M?
—Bruce Ginsberg, New York, NY

Dear Bruce,
Not a good idea. There are just too many factors to consider before making such a move. The overall stability and the center of gravity alone make the change very risky. How much additional weight would be needed to compensate for the shorter keel? Will the keel bolts line up, especially with a weight-adjusted winged keel? One would need a complete recalculation to insure the change would not result in a significantly more tender boat. A change like this must be given considerable thought before going ahead.